Howdy fellow sup-ers

Couple questions from a novice here... Are there any tips/tricks on getting through bigger waves/whitewash on a SUP?I use 9.2 Taiba (139 L). Had heaps of fun so far on up to 3-4 ft waves.... no issue getting through the break either. But yesterday, encountered some bigger waves... they were peaking around 6 ft at least I think. And I struggled to go under the whitewash at times, as the force of the wave would rip the bulky board under me... (i think because of too much boyancy)... so i'd be in the washing machine just trying to get out, and then the wave would start pushing the board which would continue pulling me under the water by the leg rope for a bit more. Quite full on. And going "over" the bigger breaks was also similarly messy (just kneeling or even lying on the board). (Yes I was trying to wait to get out in-between the sets - but at times there was just no time to get through before the next set or big wave would crash).

So I'm just wandering if:
- there is a recommended limit to the wave size for a given board size/volume?
- or is there a specific technique for getting under the wave?
- or is it simply just HTFU?
Thanks

It's a fun time in white wash, NOT. There is no way a SUP cash go under the wave like a Prone board you have to go over the wash. Thats why I tend to stick to reef breaks. So I can paddle around the waves and if you gets caught inside you can do the same.
I have jumped over white wash and the board comes with me with not too much pull or dive off the board to swim under the wave and the board will again follow at some stage. Get a good leg rope.

figuring this out my self but here's my 2 cents
Main thing for me is wait for a lull between sets to try to get outside, paddle out to where you can wait comfortably, then dash.
If it's small whitewater I paddle over or if already in water, hold board by tail and pass over top, like push it over. If bigger and I'm standing I kick board over and I duck under. Bigger and I'm in water, two options: try to toss board over and duck under (actually works kinda well), or turn to beach and pull tail under, hold on tight. I do that if people are around, held on in 5-8 ft surf fine on Saturday, but Its hard to get deep enough that wave doesn't wash you in a bit. Last option is just bail.

i have an FCS 10' big wave leash and 100-110L boards. Don't go out past 6-10' forecasted wave height.

Careful trying to paddle over, can catch a board to face if you dont get stance and weight right. Good luck

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Kisutch said..
figuring this out my self but here's my 2 cents
Main thing for me is wait for a lull between sets to try to get outside, paddle out to where you can wait comfortably, then dash.
If it's small whitewater I paddle over or if already in water, hold board by tail and pass over top, like push it over. If bigger and I'm standing I kick board over and I duck under. Bigger and I'm in water, two options: try to toss board over and duck under (actually works kinda well), or turn to beach and pull tail under, hold on tight. I do that if people are around, held on in 5-8 ft surf fine on Saturday, but Its hard to get deep enough that wave doesn't wash you in a bit. Last option is just bail.

i have an FCS 10' big wave leash and 100-110L boards. Don't go out past 6-10' forecasted wave height.

Careful trying to paddle over, can catch a board to face if you dont get stance and weight right. Good luck

"kick board over and I duck under"
I haven't thought of this. That seems like a great approach... because even when i ditch the board and duck under the wave, before i get chance to swim out, the wave catches the board, and then the board keeps pulling me under the wave before I even resurfaced... making it quite intense experience. Will try your approach next sess... Awesome thanks

When you kick the board over, aim it at 30 degrees to your line and dive 30? off line the other way, saves wearing it if the board doesn't go over the foam!

What I learned:

- Whitewater is moving water actually moving towards the shore. And it must get back out. So even if you see waves breaking everywhere, there will be rips acting as treadmills that you can use, even through breaking waves

- It is worth paddling sideways for hundreds of meters to find these exit routes

- often the waves break hard in an impact zone, but mellow afterward, even though the whitewater is still there, but much less powerful. Learn to judge the power of the whitewater and aim for the weaker parts.

- When you may fall trying to push through whitewater, have the board slightly angled. Both to not get it pushed onto you or rearing onto the leash, cutting it with the back of fins acting as billhooks

- If the lip is breaking on you, send the board away parallel to the beach. A lip crashing in the middle of the board can break it in half.

- do not hold the front of the board under your arm at your side. It is a recipe for a sore - or even dislocated - shoulder.

WATCH OUT if you are outside the board (on the ocean side) as the wave closes. If it is a forceful wave you will go up as the wave meets you, your board will be pulled behind you, and then beneath you and WHAM!!!! Two months off the water recovering. Maybe not the best wave for SUPing if it closes so forcefully. Better to be to the side of the board in heavy breaking waves, and to dive below the surface if you can.

I think it is fair to say, there is far more than one strategy to get out the back on any given day and you tend to have to employ them all on any given day. If all else looks like failing, persistency, usually works.

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lam said..
I think it is fair to say, there is far more than one strategy to get out the back on any given day and you tend to have to employ them all on any given day. If all else looks like failing, persistency, usually works.

And as a last resort, do walk of shame back to car and drive somewhere easier:) We have a jetty setup that shrinks swell and has a rip, nice backup.

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Kisutch said..

lam said..
I think it is fair to say, there is far more than one strategy to get out the back on any given day and you tend to have to employ them all on any given day. If all else looks like failing, persistency, usually works.

And as a last resort, do walk of shame back to car and drive somewhere easier:) We have a jetty setup that shrinks swell and has a rip, nice backup.

The walk of shame!! Had to do that last year, when I looked back at the waves wondered what the hell I was even doing out there.

Bit of cat and mouse, pick the right spot, get close enough to make a dash in a lull and then employ a bit of luck!

Lots of great advice thanks.

I'm still curious if there is a more specific rule of thumb to say what is the sensible wave size limit for ~9ft SUP boards... I'm curious how big waves do you guys guys ride on SUPs.?I've gone up to 1.5 m approx. But as I'm progressing, I keep thinking i wanna go bigger and bigger... but at the same time wanna keep it reasonable and not kill my self either

Just stoop to paddling out THRU THE CHANNEL!
You don't surf Wiamea by paddling out thru the break.

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superlizard said..
Lots of great advice thanks.

I'm still curious if there is a more specific rule of thumb to say what is the sensible wave size limit for ~9ft SUP boards... I'm curious how big waves do you guys guys ride on SUPs.?I've gone up to 1.5 m approx. But as I'm progressing, I keep thinking i wanna go bigger and bigger... but at the same time wanna keep it reasonable and not kill my self either

I have no direct experience with 9' boards and larger surf

that said, I sometimes surf with a fella on a 9'4" ish Flow V2 that definitely charges 2-3x overhead waves and I know he's in DOH without a channel, but he gets in situations I want no part of. I think a lot of folks would go to a step up board on bigger surf that might be 9+. So it's prob more about your comfort zone and the nature of your break. But to be clear I'm not pretending to be a charger weighing in based on experience.
I just surfed my first DOH'ish wave and it was a mellow high tide musher and I was on a more stable board designed for smaller waves so it'd be easier to paddle in the choppy conditions that day. It was way less dangerous than a head high low tide waves that smash down in shallower water. I would have loved to be on my friends 9x28 longboard for those conditions cause the waves were harder to catch on 8'

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LeeD said..
Just stoop to paddling out THRU THE CHANNEL!
You don't surf Wiamea by paddling out thru the break.

I would kill for a channel, most of the time I am on beach breaks and rips are good but move around in big swells and you still get caught out, they just scoot you out a little quicker if you can get close enough to the back.

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superlizard said..
Lots of great advice thanks.

I'm still curious if there is a more specific rule of thumb to say what is the sensible wave size limit for ~9ft SUP boards...

My limit is simple:
I ask myself what would happen if my leash or board breaks. Will I be able to make it to shore safely?
If not, I go elsewhere, or stay dry.

Also a 9ft board can break very easily in big waves. You must be OK (financially, emotionally, physically) with this possibility.

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colas said..

superlizard said..
Lots of great advice thanks.

I'm still curious if there is a more specific rule of thumb to say what is the sensible wave size limit for ~9ft SUP boards...

My limit is simple:
I ask myself what would happen if my leash or board breaks. Will I be able to make it to shore safely?
If not, I go elsewhere, or stay dry.

Also a 9ft board can break very easily in big waves. You must be OK (financially, emotionally, physically) with this possibility.

great advice Colas!

Kicking it over at an angle works great for me. Also, if I am in the water, and heavy white water comes at me, I face the board towards the shore, push down on the tail kicker and it kicks me back up and over the wave. Of course, I am happy to let go if the wave proves too powerful to hold onto--and I never hold onto the leash! And also if I ditch, I use a waist leash, and I swim as fast as I can towards the open ocean to make sure my board doesn't hit another surfer behind me.

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colas said..

superlizard said..
Lots of great advice thanks.

I'm still curious if there is a more specific rule of thumb to say what is the sensible wave size limit for ~9ft SUP boards...

My limit is simple:
I ask myself what would happen if my leash or board breaks. Will I be able to make it to shore safely?
If not, I go elsewhere, or stay dry.

Also a 9ft board can break very easily in big waves. You must be OK (financially, emotionally, physically) with this possibility.

And on a SUP you might not realize how hard it is to swim in from where you are surfing, currents easy to paddle in hard to swim in

Luck plays a big role in these situations. I generally only surf points when it's big so I can always paddle around the break. However when I inevitably do get caught inside, if it's too late to kick over, I'll make surf I get hold of the leash before going under. That way when the board gets dragged, the leash pulls me to the surface

There is so much to say on this subject that I think I may finally finish my video on it. I have started it many times, but the options are almost limitless, and I kinda grind to a halt in the editing room.

In the meantime, my best advice:
Follow an old guy out.... we don't have the strength to fight the ocean, so we work with it.

I've been trying to perfect this for a while and routinely surf a close-out beach beach style of area up to 2.5m. Last Friday was 2.0m waves with sets a 2xOH. This is on a 7'9 board too, so no real paddle glide and a lot of Balance.
a few tips, try and find a rip where possible. paddle hard towards the incoming wave and try to go to a 'surfer stance' before it breaks- put your weight on your back foot and then try to almost ride the whitewash as it hits and use your paddle to stabilise yourself as it rocks the board around. Try and get paddling forward momentum asap as the longer your board spends sitting stationary in the slurp, the more likely you will be to come off.

while it's tempting to go on your knees, you can always get over bigger whitewash standing up. Get up to your feet as fast as possible and repeat the cycle, paddle hard, and be persistent.
Getting out last week wasn't overly fun in 2m+ waves but doable is persistent and good technique.
practice makes perfect- took me a few years to really work at this. Some waves are too big and you'll Get hammered regardless but give it a try going over them and you'll get better at it regardless

Greatsup, how old roughly - weight? in my seventies ( 90 kilos ) and cannot see myself standing on your board in flat water, let alone paddling over white water!

Well, in windsurfing with 8', 75 liter boards, in solid consistent sideshore 23 knot breeze, the upper limits is about 2.5 meter closeout waves without a clear channel.

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superlizard said..

Couple questions from a novice here... Had heaps of fun so far on up to 3-4 ft waves.... no issue getting through the break either. But yesterday, encountered some bigger waves... they were peaking around 6 ft

So I'm just wandering if:
- there is a recommended limit to the wave size for a given board size/volume?
- or is there a specific technique for getting under the wave?
- or is it simply just HTFU?
Thanks

just to clarify - 6ft faces, or 6ft waves?

a 6ft wave is more than 2x overhead & at this size requires very careful wave selection and timing to minimise getting slammed. i reckon t's all about the ones you let roll through before picking the right wave to take off on

if it's shaping up nicely, I try to take off on the second last wave of the set in bigger surf - (the last wave is usually the runt of the litter & a bit messy) - that way you don't wear the remaining waves on the head once you come off, plus there's a lull to paddle back out through. and you can watch the first couple from behind to gauge the angle of the set and how the break is running.

Reckon SUP the Creeks wave is solid 5'.

there is no science to it, basically sit and watch for a bit to see what the surf in doing, get really good at reading the surf and the conditions, and then be ready to get belted because it will happen, you will realize how unfit you are extremely quickly, obviously breaks where there are defined rips or point breaks would be preferred on a sup but you don't always have that

I think at the end of the day people need to know their limits and have a realistic gauge on their ability, but also little thing like being comfortable in the water and in your ability to swim, because you will snap a leash eventually in big surf

Jarryd

Yeah, plenty of 6 foot days I couldn't make it out, while a few friends made it out.
Thats shorepound for you.
And that's on a shortboard.

Have had a couple of variances with shore breaks and heavy days - some days I have got hammered and caught out to give up or doubt trying anymore only to see old mate behind me just time it sweetly and make it out with his hair dry...and a couple of other occasions where I have been that guy that sneaks out past crew that are getting smashed.

Can also be hard timing a wave in surfing at a place that has no channel or easy exit, actually found that a bit harder at times!

Yeh,i normally walk around the beach 300m and paddle out where its a bit smaller.Hanging onto the leash is a good one.

haha... the other day I paddled in, then got out about 300m down the beach... where it was a bit smaller... hanging onto the leash...

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superlizard said..
Lots of great advice thanks.

I'm still curious if there is a more specific rule of thumb to say what is the sensible wave size limit for ~9ft SUP boards... I'm curious how big waves do you guys guys ride on SUPs.?I've gone up to 1.5 m approx. But as I'm progressing, I keep thinking i wanna go bigger and bigger... but at the same time wanna keep it reasonable and not kill my self either

Not really, lots of factors to consider, conditions like wind and chop, board design, an extreme example is you can see 14ft race boards paddling out through huge waves, rider ability etc. I tend to use a longer wider board as waves get bigger as there's usually a lot of water moving about and I need the stability. A pointy nose definitely helps, I had a hypernut and that was bad for the nose flying into four face even in small stuff.

General rule is dive under a pitching lip, kicking board sideways, dive over white water anything above about 3ft. Hold rail saver on leash if in the water, in shoulder high waves, if bigger, swim under and hope the leash and plug hold.

I tend to paddle out prone quite a bit, as my boards arre fairly low vol and it's better for my back, then I simply roll off the board before the wave hits. Works quite well if you have a bit of momentum as it helps you get under the wave. I surf away from other surfers as bailing boards is really dangerous for them, which you are forced to do with a SUP in bigger waves.

I use an ocean earth all in one moulded leash that's supposed to be 40% stronger than conventional?

Hope this helps?

Some old vid on pro SUP wave riders paddling out through solid 6' whitewater on an 8-10' day at Ocean Beach SF.
Pretty amazing stuff. They were able to climb the whitewater with 2-3 hard short strokes and never stopped paddling in the turbulence after.
Young, strong, skilled and sponsored.